Faria Is O‘ahu’s Soulful, New and Only Portuguese Restaurant

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Faria feels like what would happen if our Portuguese grandma’s dining room got a makeover by a creative cousin who’s been itching to add her own spin. At the entrance, a wall of rosaries overlooks a pillow embroidered with Vovo—Portuguese for grandmother. Luminary candles display not Jesus, but the faces of  Andrew Le, Sheldon Simeon, Deb Perelman, Martin Yan and other inspirational chefs. The overall effect is homey and as respectful as it is playful.

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

The menu follows the same theme, and it’s clear that Faria—a Pasifika-Portuguese Restaurant, as it describes itself—has plenty of talent. It’s the years-long dream of chef-owner Kawehi Haug, who with business partners Kim Potter and Sheldon Lo previously ran Downtown’s Hukilau Café and Bethel Street Tap Room. Haug is head chef and baker, Potter is the sous chef, Lo runs front of house and the bar. Haug’s parents, Fraser and Puanana Haug, handle administration and logistics and jump in “as prep cooks, dishwashers and laundry ladies,” Haug says.

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

“We’re not trying to be Lisbon or Massachusetts or San Jose. We are specifically Hawai‘i Portuguese,” she says. “It struck me as so odd that there were no Portuguese restaurants in a place with such a large Portuguese population, and I wanted to bring familiar local family recipes into the local restaurant scape to honor the deep Portuguese heritage.” (Full disclosure: Haug has written freelance articles for HONOLULU Magazine and Frolic, and we worked together at The Honolulu Advertiser.)

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Food at Faria is nostalgic, comforting and at times whimsical. Some of our early favorites are an appetizer of sardines ($19) simmered in a tomato-garlic confit so good we wipe the skillet clean with house-made bread, and another of polenta fritters ($14), fine-ground cornmeal deep-fried until the crispy crust wisps apart on the palate; smear it with Potter’s grandmother’s Hawaiian chile pepper jelly for a tangy finish. Next on our list to try are the appetizer platter and tinned fish board, and maybe the linguiça sausages or what’s listed as Pocho Trinity—boiled peanuts, tremoços beans and Snacky Crackers.

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Go early to order the velvety whole branzino ($45) served alongside fresh tomatoes, cucumber, onions, sprigs of thyme and grilled lemons—it often sells out. Also worth repeat orders is alcatra ($26), a slow-cooked pot roast hinting of cinnamon with mashed potatoes and cabbage, its flavors full and deep.

Piripiri chicken, left, pot roast, right, and bacalhau entrée, below. Photo: Robbie Dingeman

If you’ve trekked to Portugal, the Azores or Macao, you will recognize classic dishes featuring bacalhau. One version at Faria presents cod as an entrée of gratin with potatoes and onions baked with béchamel ($28), another as an appetizer of croquettes. Plus, there’s a bacalhau stew, salted cod salad and a fried cod sandwich. Other favorites are Granny Pereira’s Piripiri Chicken ($24), two roasted legs with tangy lemon potatoes and melty cabbage; as well as a Fishermen’s Stew ($26) with shrimp, cod and mussels. Melty, full-flavored cabbage—which is having a heyday among home cooks—accompanies many entrées and is so memorable that you might find yourselves arguing over the leftovers.

Cod and potato croquettes, left, and Portuguese bean soup. Photo: Robbie Dingeman

The familiar flavors of Hawai‘i-style Portuguese bean soup ($10), whose recipe varies from house to house, get kicked up a notch with a savory broth of ham hock, cabbage and white beans. The same is true of vinha d’ahlos ($26), or pickled pork—it’s tender in a garlicky wine sauce whose flavor is not exactly what your auntie makes for Christmas brunch.

The Pasifika part of Faria’s tagline refers to other cuisines that influence the menu: a laulau stew, a burger with smoked Provolone and Portuguese sausage mayo, and Auntie Jan-Marie’s Almond Butter Mochi.

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Not to be overlooked, bread stands out here, especially pão da lareira, similar to focaccia; and oval-shaped loaves of bolo de caco, a flatbread from Madeira made with sweet potato. The shape is different from the traditional rounds because that’s how the recipe came down from family members.

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

And leave room for dessert—Haug has been refining her pasteis de nata for years, including trips to taste and study them in Lisbon. At Faria, these become a silky Portuguese burnt custard, tinged with cinnamon and baked in crisp layers of laminated pastry.

The restaurant serves wines and spirits from Portugal and beyond, along with cocktails that showcase the team’s family ties and traditions.

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Portuguese eateries have been exceedingly rare on O‘ahu. A dozen years ago, Adega restaurant offered a mix of Portuguese and Brazilian fare in Downtown. And until the mid-80s, Lisboa restaurant served a white tablecloth version of Portuguese food at the Pacific Grand Hotel. Now, Faria is the island’s only Portuguese restaurant. Its 70 seats have been filling up as word gets around, so best to make a reservation via the website or by phone.

There’s more coming. The team plans to expand hours—and eventually hope to roll out a food truck selling those creamy custard tarts.

Open Wednesday to Saturday 5 to 10 p.m., 306 Ku‘ulei Road, Kailua, (808) 200-4953, fariahawaii.com, @fariahawaii